Hey all, been a fan of SEAL Team since the show premiered, but just last year fell head over heels for it and a friend got me into its fanfic. Been wanting to write my own fic for a while and it finally happened! Who knew all I needed was a whole Bingo card's worth of whumpy prompts. Okay, I should have known… I hope you like this!


Somebody calling his name brought Sonny back to consciousness. With the return of awareness, also came all encompassing pain. It started at his feet, went up his legs, then disappeared near his abdomen and exploded back again in the hitch of his breath and the way a drum solo seemed to be playing on his skull. Somewhere in between the fog that clouded his thoughts, Sonny realized the lack of sensation near his midsection was a definite cause for concern, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He felt as if he was dying, and if that were the case, then why bother on what he couldn't feel. From a young age, he had been taught to never look a gift horse in the mouth, and at this exact moment, that lack of sensation felt like a small kind of mercy.

"Sonny!" His name was called again, and somewhere deep within his soul, he recognized the voice speaking his name, but he couldn't place it. He tried to shift towards the sound, but his ribs protested the movement and he was left gasping from the sudden onslaught of pain. While before he felt numb, the small motion of his torso had seemingly woken up that part of his body with a vengeance. The pain so intense that it threatened to send his mind over the abyss. Darkness nudged at the edges of his vision and it was only that same voice shouting his name again what forced the SEAL to hang onto consciousness. While before the call had been a question, now it sounded more like a plea.

Sonny Quinn had never been a quitter, so now, he forced himself to try again. With slow, careful movements he shifted his head towards the general area of the voice, a sudden wave of nausea assaulting him now, but the pain remained passable.

"Sonny! Bravo 3, can you hear me?" As if in response to his effort, his name was called again, sounding closer this time. The word Bravo letting lose something inside him, but its meaning was just out of reach.

Opening his eyes for the second time since he had come back from unconsciousness, Sonny now realized he couldn't see a thing. A deep chill then began deep in his spine, spreading over his body in the same way that panic spread along his mind. Shit, was he blind?

Taking slow, deep breaths Sonny tried to calm his racing heart. Panic wasn't a good companion for a sailor, it only prompted mistakes and a sudden end to one's life. And Sonny didn't want either.

Once his heartbeat slowed down enough to allow rationality to creep back into his thoughts, Sonny realized that he was in a cave. The space pitch-black, except for some rays of moonlight that filtered in through cracks in the rocks that surrounded him. Contributing to his momentary blindness, dust and ash still settled around him. Tentatively feeling the area around his hip, Sonny found the flashlight he always carried and gave a small thank you to whoever was listening when it turned on. A soft light now illuminating the space around him.

Sonny couldn't remember how he had ended up in his current predicament, but with understanding of his surroundings also came the realization that he must have been involved in some kind of cave-in, possibly even an explosion, if the smell of smoke in the air was any indication. He wasn't one for camping or outdoor activities whatsoever, so he must be in-country, aka whatever new hellhole they had been sent to.

They. The thought made Sonny realize he should be worried about someone other than himself, but the memories of his team were fleeting and he couldn't linger in any for long enough to piece together his fragmented thoughts.

Sonny's mind was a puzzle with a lot of missing pieces but before he could delve much deeper into his team, someone called his name again, derailing Sonny's train of thought and plunging his mind back into uncertainty.

"Sonny, thank God! Oh, brother I was so worried." The voice was accompanied by a shadow coming closer to him and Sonny squinted as he tried to see who it was. The words and tone of voice seemed friendly enough so Sonny chose not to worry, even if there was a high chance that he was in enemy territory. He trusted his gut, and right now it told him that this man was friend, not foe.

As the man got closer, the shadow began taking shape, and suddenly Ray Perry was standing right in front of him. The sight of Bravo 2 made all his missing memories come back with such force that it left Sonny gasping as if physically struck.

Middle Eastern Country. Taking out their HVT. 10 klicks south of exfil and Havoc reporting unfriendlies coming towards them. Being rerouted through the mountains. Enemy forces coming closer. Finding a cave, and safety. Until an RPG was launched in their direction. Then darkness.

Ray kneeled in front of his teammate and moved a hand to check for a pulse, "Sonny, can you hear me? Are you okay?" He asked, concern lacing every word. Sonny must be worse than he anticipated if that was his teammate's first action. Then he realized that his eyes had closed again, possibly before Ray had gotten close enough to see him, explaining his brother's need to check if he was breathing. So he opened them again, trying to look as stoic as humanly possible, considering the agony his body was in.

"I don't think your God is here, brother." Choosing to ignore Ray's questions, yes he could hear him, no he wasn't okay, Sonny focused on his first comment instead. Looking at the destruction and chaos all around them, Sonny thought it was evident that no one's God was on their side today. But if he could be looking at himself through Ray's eyes, he would surely disagree. Because Sonny should have been dead right now. Yes, there was a slab of rock sitting on his midsection, but the rest of his body had been spared by what could only be described as a miracle. Rocks that should have fallen on top of him were on his sides, while his legs and, more importantly, his head had remained unscathed, as if an invisible force had pushed the falling rocks out of Bravo 3's way. And if that wasn't an act of God, Ray didn't know what was.

"What hurts?" Ray asked this time, recognizing that Sonny wasn't trying to mock his faith, it was just the frustration of an injured man talking.

"Is everything an acceptable response?" Sonny inquired as a way of answer.

"It wouldn't to Trent, but that's good enough for me," Ray said simply, his eyes moving rapidly over the Texan's body as he accessed his brother, looking for more visible wounds, and trying not to think about what could be hiding on the inside. He wasn't Trent, so he couldn't do anything about those injuries right now. "Can you move your legs?"

Sonny didn't say anything, just slightly rolled his ankle as a response, his face scrunching in pain.

"Okay, that's enough. Don't try that again," Ray directed, feeling terrible for having caused his brother pain with this request. Gosh, he didn't know how Trent could do this day in and day out. "I'm going to cut some of your clothes off to take a better look. Let me know if anything hurts."

It wasn't really a question but still, Ray waited until Sonny nodded, then took out his pocket knife, his only weapon to survive the blast that blew up the cave and Bravo, and began to cut away his jacket. Surprisingly, one of Sonny's handguns was still on the waistband of his pants, so Ray took it and dropped it at his side. Wishing like hell that he wouldn't need to use it.

Not sure how long they would spend trapped in this cave, and knowing that nights could get really cold in this area, Ray had wanted to leave Sonny's shirt on, but it was stuck under the slab of rock, so he had no choice but cutting it too.

Years of experience, and many injuries seen and experienced during those years, were the only reasons why Ray managed to stifle a gasp as soon as he saw his brother's abdomen. Dark bruising had already made itself visible, starting somewhere under the slab of rock and going up into his chest. Ray gently prodded what part of the area he could, quickly stopping and apologizing as soon as Sonny grunted. He knew he was out of his depth here, medically adrift one could say, so he sat back down and sighed.

"That bad, huh?" Sonny asked knowingly.

Ray shook his head, taking a minute to choose his next words carefully. "Not really, I'm just not Trent. He would know exactly what to do. I could try to help, but I could as likely just be making everything worse," Ray said eventually, his words truthful because at this moment his honesty was all that he could offer.

"I trust you brother," Sonny said confidently. "Do what you think is right."

Taking a calming breath, Ray took stock of his brother again. There was a gash on Sonny's temple, a deep laceration on his right leg, visible through the torn pant leg of his military trousers, and the very colorful and worrisome bruising adorning his torso. Ignoring the bruising for now, Ray grabbed his backpack, thanking his God as it had remained on his body, and got some gauze, tape and hydrogen peroxide, along with a bigger flashlight. Clean wounds won't be any good if there's internal bleeding, a nagging voice, that sounded surprisingly like Trent, whispered inside Ray's head. Still he carefully cleaned Sonny's wounds, wrapping some gauze around them to stop more dirt from getting in.

"You should save some of that for you," Sonny drawled, eyes unfocused and at half-mast. At Ray's confused look, he pointed to his friend's head. "There's a cut over your right eye, another one in your shoulder…"

Looking down, Ray saw that there was in fact a slightly worrisome amount of blood staining his uniform at shoulder height, and moving his hand to his forehead, he grunted as it came back sticky and crimson. Not wanting to focus on himself, he stuck a butterfly bandage on the cut over his eye, and ignored the one on his shoulder.

Turning his attention back to Sonny, Ray searched his backpack until he located the one saline bag that they all carried in case of an emergency where Trent wasn't available. He knew Sonny needed a blood transfusion, or really, what Sonny really needed was to be out of here and in a hospital. But he couldn't give his brother any of that, so saline would have to be enough for now. Remembering his basic first aid training, he made quick work of starting the IV and used the rocks that had fallen to the side to help keep the bag raised. At least the damn rocks were good for something.

After the initial rush of assessing Sonny and giving whatever medical treatment he could, Ray felt his remaining energy drain in a matter of seconds. Dread and pain occupying the space that adrenaline once had. SEALS were men of action, and they hated waiting. But now, Ray could do nothing but wait. For rescue, for death, he wasn't sure which. But he prayed for the former.

"What happened to the team?" Sonny asked after both men had been quiet for too long. He had been scared to know at first, so he focused on trying to survive, but now the not-knowing was getting to him, and his heightened anxiety seemed to somehow be increasing his physical discomfort.

"I don't know," Ray said sadly. "When we entered the cave it was all good at first, but then a Tango with an RPG appeared out of nowhere… We sort of got separated after that." Ray tried to explain, but he wasn't sure of anything himself. "We were covering the front, so when the RPG hit Bravo 1, 4, 5 and 6 were farther away. They must be on the other side of that," Ray finished, his hand pointing to the "new wall" that the cave-in had created parallel to the cave's entrance. All the fallen debris, completely, blocking their connection with the outside world and the rest of their team. "Don't you remember?" Ray asked, his tone, again, full of concern.

"Yeah… kinda, it's a bit fussy," Sonny explained nonchalantly. "How far away were they?" He wondered out loud. "Could the rocks have fallen on top of them?"

Ray thought for a second, closed his eyes, as he tried to remember the exact location where he last saw the rest of his team. He wasn't sure how thick the wall of debris was but he tried to estimate to the best of his ability. "I don't think so," he said simply, not wanting to entertain what the alternative could mean, but Sonny, as usual, voiced what no one dare say.

"Could they have gotten captured?" Or killed. If the debris is separating Ray and Sonny from the tangos, and it didn't fall on top of the rest of Bravo, then... Sonny shook his head and willed his darkened thoughts to stop. This way of thinking wasn't doing anyone any good. "Sorry," Sonny quickly added, before Ray had time to answer his question.

Ray nodded, understanding his brother's need to know, but like 15 minutes ago, all they could do was wait and see. He repeated the words like a mantra, even if a part of Ray wanted to go farther into the cave and see if there was another exit, or better, if he could locate the rest of his team or a working radio to contact Havoc. But there was no way he was leaving Sonny alone, trapped under a slab of rock, and he couldn't risk trying to remove it alone. With his adrenaline fading, all the aches in his body were at full force, especially on his shoulder, and he was scared of causing more damage if brute force and willpower alone weren't enough to move the slab.

Sonny's questions were enough to mentally trap both men into what ifs scenarios, so no more words were spoken until Ray noticed Sonny's eyes beginning to close. "Hey, brother, wake up." At Sonny's lack of response, Ray gently patted his cheek until the Texan grunted and swatted his hand away. Ignoring Sonny, Ray went to touch his friend again, noticing that his skin was too cold and even more sweaty than before.

Looking up, Ray noticed that the saline bag was almost empty. He searched around trying to see if he could find Sonny's backpack but it was probably trapped under the rubble. Remembering Trent's actions when one of them had been injured in the past, Ray checked Sonny's pulse. To his dismay, it was both weak and rapid, and his capillary refill way too slow for comfort. This time his mind whispered what deep in his bones he already knew, Sonny was going into shock and he would die if Ray didn't get him to a hospital.

Trusting that the rest of Bravo or some other team sent by Havoc would soon come for them, Ray focused on keeping Sonny awake. Out of selfishness, or maybe in a desperate attempt to keep Sonny fighting for life, that's what he tried to tell himself, the next words out of his mouth were spoken without any reservation, "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault… that your God is not here," Sonny said with a faint smile, a callback to his first comment after being reunited with Ray.

"I didn't mean that," Ray explained unnecessarily. "I'm sorry about Davis."

Sonny's eyes had been almost closed, but now they were back open, very, very open. "What do you mean?" His stoic mask was now gone, his face displaying all his emotions for Ray to see.

"I'm sorry I was the reason you two ended what you had." Ray sighed, running a hand down his face. He wasn't sure if he was apologizing for his sake or Sonny's. "I know you two broke up after I confronted you about it, and I'm deeply sorry, brother."

"Don't be," Sonny said too quickly, his mask back into place. "You were protecting the team, you were protecting me. It could have cost both of us our jobs."

"True… but in reality, I was protecting myself." The words dropping between them like a bomb. "I knew if your relationship was discovered, it could jeopardize my plans for the future, being a Master Chief, or Warrant Officer. But either way, it was selfish and I'm sorry."

"Again, don't be," Sonny's tone didn't betray any of the emotions he was now experiencing, all of them competing for attention over the pain that he was still feeling. "Let me rephrase that, our relationship would have been discovered and I wouldn't be a member of Bravo right now."

"I think that would be for the better," Ray admitted sadly.

"I don't regret this," Sonny said, a grunt escaping his lips as he lifted his hand to point at himself. "Would never have forgiven myself if anything happened to you all and I wasn't here. If you died, here, or another day, and I was back stateside. Reckon I would have soon followed. But not by the hand of one of these sons of bitches or an explosion, but the doing of my own bullet." Sonny said nothing more, letting the implication of his words hang in the air.

"What about Lisa?" Ray asked.

"What about it?" Sonny challenged, never one to back down.

"In your little scenario, where would she be?" Ray explained, not backing down either. "Would you have left her alone?"

Sonny opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. But ultimately, no words came out. It was an impossible answer.

"No need to reply," Ray added a minute later, letting Sonny off the hook. "My point still remains… Our choice of work is challenging, and we're lucky when we manage to find someone willing to walk that path with us. I found Naima, someone as far removed from our world as possible, but she was willing. You found Davis, a part of our world… which complicates things, but you could have made it work. You two are professionals. And I'm sorry I ruined it for you. I should have known you would never jeopardize the team. Heck, I knew. I was just too stubborn to let it go. You should… you should try again when we get out of here. I will keep your secret, brother."

There were so many things Sonny wanted to say, but he settled on the one detail that was nagging at him. "Why are you telling me this? Am I really that far gone?"

The question wasn't what Ray expected, but he should have known. "No brother, I should have said this long ago, I'm also sorry it took you getting hurt this time for me to finally see that."

"Come on, Ray. I have been with you and Trent every time, I know what you're doing… pulse, capillary refill, constantly touching me. I know it all, brother. I know you're looking for signs of shock." Sonny's voice had lost its edge from moments ago, now he just sounded resigned.

"You're not going into shock, Sonny. Help will be here soon." Even as Ray said the words, he wished he had gone in search of help himself when he first had the thought. He would have hated leaving Sonny alone, but it would have been worth it if it had saved his life. Now it was too late, and he was scared to leave Sonny to die alone.

"Whatever you say brother," Sonny said, trying not to slur his words, his eyes threatening to close again as his thoughts and movements become even more sluggish.

Losing the fight, and letting his eyes drop, Sonny's last thought was of his grandmother. Back when he was a boy, she used to read him fairy tales. His lady cousins outnumbered him three-to-one so he was beat. But he had grumbled all the way through, much preferring tales about cowboys or stories of how the mighty Longhorns and Tommy Nobis stopped Joe Namath and the Crimson Tide to win the 65' Orange Bowl. Story that was only topped by his Longhorns completing another miracle in 69' when they defeated the No. 1 ranked Arkansas on a clutch 4th-and-3 play. But his Grandninny's fairy tales had remained with him, and even if he would deny it to any breathing soul, to this day, the mighty Sonny Quinn still believed in happily-ever-afters. Thinking of Ray's words, a small smile graced his lips just before he lost consciousness, he hoped he could still get his.

Seeing Sonny's breathing even out, Ray knew he was no longer in the conscious world. Still he called his name a few times, gently shook his shoulder and patted his cheek, but Sonny Quinn was long gone. At least he could rest now. He had been stoic and brave, but Ray had seen the pain lines on his face, and recognized the hitch in his breath, and knew that Sonny must have been in complete agony, even if he had never complained. For all of Sonny's fears, annoyances and constant complaints, when worse came to worst, Sonny was at his best self. Brave, strong, loyal and always willing to do whatever was necessary to complete the mission or save his teammates. And there was no one else Ray would have wanted at his side. "Rest now, brother. Help will be here soon." Letting his eyes go up towards the heavens, Ray said a quick prayer. He had done all he could and now it was time for some divine intervention.

As if responding to his plea, sound came from deep within the cave. The dark tunnel stretched so far out that Ray could see nothing but pitch-dark. Scared to call out in case whoever approached was non-friendly, Ray grabbed his pocket knife and Sonny's gun, turned off the bigger flashlight, and moved forward, situating himself right in front of Sonny. "Last stand, brother. Sure you want to miss this?"

Predictably, no answer came. Sonny just continued to sleep, his breathing slow and labored, and catching in his throat every few minutes.

Closing his eyes, Ray thought of Naima, Jameelah and RJ. He then said a quick, silent prayer for their safety, promising to always look down over them, before mentally apologizing to his family and brothers. A lone, wayward tear escaped him and he angrily swiped it away, clutching the handle of the gun harder, prepared to fight however way he could.

The next few seconds stretched until what felt like forever, but to his immense hope, and even bigger surprise, after another moment, Ray thought he heard a bark. It was a familiar one too, if one could say that about a dog. A flicker of hope started deep within his chest, growing as soon as a familiar voice called from the darkness. "Bravo 2, Bravo 3 can you hear me? Call out if you're here."

Jason.

Ray's happiness was so big that it stole his breath away. His words being choked out by more treacherous tears escaping his eyes. Taking a deep breath, Ray swiped them away and tried to stand up. "Bravo 1... Jace, we're here." He stumbled, his legs weak and muscles achy.

"Coming in," Jason announced, and then just like that his family was right there, surrounding them and instantly moving into action. "Sitrep, Bravo 2." Jason's voice was that of a Master Chief, always unemotional, always in control. But the look he gave both Ray and Sonny, betrayed how he really felt.

Moving away from Sonny so Trent could start a blood transfusion, Ray told his team everything that had happened. From the moment he woke up and his panic at not seeing Sonny anymore, searching for and eventually finding him, and what he knew of his injuries and the treatment he had provided.

Trent made quick work of starting the blood transfusion and hooking Sonny to a new saline bag, then prodded his abdomen to better assess what he was working with. A much easier thing to do now that Sonny was unconscious and could no longer react to feeling pain.

Following Trent's directions, Bravo 1, 4, and 5 carefully removed the piece of rock pinning Sonny to the ground, Bravo 6 staying close to his brother in case he woke up and needed someone to hold or calm him down. But, both to everyone's relief and dismay, Sonny never made a sound.

With Sonny stable enough, Trent moved to Ray, muttering something about no team member requiring less medical attention than others. Reluctantly, Ray let Trent check his head wound, and shoulder. The medic decided that the butterfly bandage was enough for now, but chose to put his arm on a sling just in case the laceration went deeper into muscle or bone.

In the end, Ray's prayers had been answered and in less than half an hour since his team had arrived, Bravo 1 to 6 were on their way out of the damned cave. Cerb guiding them from the front, and Jason, Trent, Brock, and Clay carrying Sonny on a stretcher, Ray limping not far behind.

-x-x-x-

When Sonny next woke up, he wasn't sure if he was dead or alive. But noticing how the smell of smoke had been replaced with antiseptic and the ringing in his ears with a beeping to his right, and how the agony he felt before was nothing but a dull ache now, he concluded that he must be in some sort of medical facility, and hooked to the good stuff.

Carefully opening his eyes, Sonny breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that he was in fact in a hospital. The words written in English and the signs around him so recognizable that he knew he must somehow be back in Virginia.

A movement to his right caught his attention, and Sonny shifted to find Jason staring at him. His team leader looked at him with an unreadable expression on his face. It was both anger, relief, exhaustion, frustration and worry all weaved into one. His hair was sticking in all directions so Sonny assumed he must have also just woken up.

Taking another look at his room, he now noticed that all his brothers were here. Brock sitting against the far right wall, arms crossed, eyes closed and Cerb's head on his outstretched legs as they both slept peacefully. Trent was sitting on a chair next to Jason, a folder, which Sonny assumed was his medical chart, still resting on his lap as the medic held it in his sleep. Ray was on a couch on the other side of the room, a sling on his arm and a pristine, white bandage on his head. Clay lay curled in on himself on the other side of Cerb.

The one person missing, the one he wanted to see most.

"What's the word, Jace?" Sonny asked after his team leader's stare and silence had begun to unnerve him. "What's the damage?"

"Trent can tell you better, but… level 2 concussion, deep laceration to your leg, some internal bleeding and ruptured spleen. You had surgery three days ago, and this is the first time you wake up lucid enough to ask questions," Jason explained matter-of-factly. "But you will be okay, and should be back with Bravo in three to four months top."

"Thanks," Sonny replied simply, taking it all in. It was still hard to believe that he was really still alive. "And Ray?"

"Ray is okay," the man in question said for himself. "Mild concussion and the cut to my shoulder missed all arteries but nicked the muscle, hence the sling. There's some bruising here and there, but nothing that time and rest won't fix."

"Good. Glad you're okay." Sonny said, swallowing tightly, as thoughts of his last conversation with Ray intruded his mind. "And thank you, for getting me out."

"You would have to thank them," Ray said, pointing to the rest of their team.

"What happened?" Sonny asked. His memories of the RPG and explosion were still fussy, and he had no idea what transpired after he lost consciousness.

"What happened is we had to save your sorry ass," Clay interrupted from this position on the floor. A satisfied smirk on his face, but the softness in his blue eyes showing the depths of his relief.

"Like I haven't done that a million times for you, Goldilocks," Sonny grumbled.

"I don't know, Son. I think you two have a secret competition of who can spend more time in the hospital and tally more surgeries." Jason added his two cents.

"Sonny's definitely winning, I mean getting trapped in a torpedo tube, and then on a collapsed cave with a ruptured spleen," Clay said confidently.

"Now there you're mistaken, little buddy. I could get hurt a few more times and I still wouldn't reach Manila level." Sonny challenged, all thoughts of his near death experience forgotten and replaced by comfortable and familiar banter with his brothers.

"You are all horrible people." Trent huffed, then dropped Sonny's chart back onto the chair and walked towards the door. "I will be back later this afternoon. Try not to get hurt while I'm gone, I don't spend countless hours treating you both, and losing years of my life worrying, for you two to argue about who gets hurt the most!" Then their medic was gone, the door closing behind him with a soft bang.

Sonny and Clay had the decency to look ashamed for about five seconds, before both burst out laughing. The rest of the team following soon after.

"But in all seriousness, I'm glad you're okay, brother," Clay said, reaching to squeeze Sonny's shoulder. "You both are." He said mostly to himself, turning to Ray with a grateful smile, relieved that he was okay, but also infinitely grateful for having saved his best friend.

Ray only nodded, a look on his face that clearly said that no thanks were necessary. They were all family after all.

The men of Bravo stayed together for a little while longer. Comfortable silence or banter filling the air in between explanations of how the team had managed to take out the tango with the RPG and the rest of their pursuers before circling back to the other entrance of the cave as soon as they realized the collapse had completely cut them from Sonny and Ray. And Sonny's teammates only left the hospital, reluctantly, when Lieutenant Commander Blackburn came to visit, sending them all to their respective houses to shower and get some decent sleep for at least a few hours. Ray was the last one to leave, lingering close to the door, but not quite yet ready to go.

"Go home, Ray," Sonny said after a few minutes of awkward silence. "Spend time with your family and tell Jameelah and RJ that uncle Sonny misses them. That I'll visit as soon as uncle Clay springs me from this place."

"Good look with that, brother. I wouldn't piss off Trent any further." Ray advised with a smile, then opened the door but still didn't cross the threshold. "Go talk to her after you get out of here. My kids can wait."

At Sonny's lack of response, and expression that battled between innocence and confusion, Ray clarified. "Davis. I didn't miss your disappointment when you woke up and noticed she wasn't here. And yes, I was already awake."

Again, Sonny parted his lips to say something. But then closed his mouth again. When it came to one Lisa Davis all the right words always seemed to escape him.

"She was really worried. Stayed with us in the waiting room in the base infirmary, never left your side on the C17 when we brought you home, and yesterday spent all day here watching you sleep. Late last night Blackburn came to send her home. New intel came in and they needed her on it today. She's spent all day knee-deep in surveillance."

"Thanks," Sonny said simply, the smile on his face, and the clarity that suddenly replaced the shadows that previously lurked in his eyes, saying more to Ray than any words could.

"Anytime, brother." With a final wave, and a wish that his two teammates would eventually find their way back to each other, Ray finally exited the room. He still wasn't sure if his words at the cave had been to clear his conscience in case the worst happened, or because he really thought the reward was worth the risk. But that was something for Sonny and Lisa to find out.

Releasing a breath he seemed to have been holding since the moment he woke up in the hospital, Sonny let a hopeful smile grace his slips before he closed his eyes again. He wasn't a prince or a knight, and Lisa sure wasn't a damsel in distress but that didn't mean they couldn't someday get their happy ending.


So… I'm not exactly sure how I found myself whumping Sonny on my first SEAL Team fanfic. Don't get me wrong I love our Texan but my boy Clay is my favorite character so I know his whump will be coming soon enough.

Thanks to my friend writeallnight for her encouragement in giving SEAL Team fanfic a try, and helping me out as I wrote this first story. You're awesome and I appreciate all your help!